Wine with Leslie: Seductive wines from just €10 to toast Valentine's Day
If cooking is an act of love, so is choosing a wine to match
Despite my other job as a restaurant writer I don’t think I have ever been to a restaurant on St. Valentines Day. Never underestimate the power of a well-cooked meal at home for a loved one — especially a meal served with good wine.
Romance, good food and fine wine are a natural fit and if cooking is an act of love, so is choosing a wine to match. I’m not sure I should be admitting this, but food and wine matching is not all that difficult, and more flexible than you might expect. A much-loved wine served with a much-loved food can be the best combination of all, regardless of whether the flavours are in perfect harmony or not.
As you already know, white wine is traditionally served with fish, but oily fish like salmon and tuna can happily match with red wine, especially if you serve it cool — Beaujolais and Valpolicella both work well but so would a wine like the Lisboa recommended below if chilled down a little. Consider texture and weight as much as flavour — even white fish can be made to work with reds if you serve a rich dark sauce. If your loved one only drinks white wine and you want to serve steak or boeuf bourguignon, look for a richer white such as Pinot Gris from Alsace or a creamy White Burgundy such as Saint-Véran or Pouilly-Fuissé. Not a perfect match but perfectly acceptable in my view.
To start a Valentines meal I do recommend fizz, but a well-crafted cocktail such as a Negroni is also a good choice. Champagne is the obvious suggestion but not everyone likes Champagne’s yeasty, biscuity flavours and high acidity. A good Spumante (full fizz) Prosecco or tank fermented ‘Charmat method’ sparkling wine can be a thing of beauty. The best is from the classic region of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene in the Veneto where a funnel of cool air comes down from the Alps but expect to pay a little more. Prosecco is on a roll at the moment with Italy’s most expensive vineyards and 627 million bottles produced in 2021 — an increase of 24%.
Recommendations this week are three fruit-driven and seductively priced wines from the SuperValu Spanish Wine Sale, and three fine examples of Italian fizz including a good value full-fizz Spumante Prosecco, a satiny creamy Charmat method pink Tuscan in a pretty bottle and a fine quality Franciacorta — the best but least known Italian sparkling wine region.
Stockist: SuperValu
This producer needs little introduction and the Marqués de Cáceres Gran Reserva Rioja at €15 will likely sell out with no help from me. Also on offer is this Verdejo and it’s about time Irish consumers began exploring the most popular white wine in Spain. This has typical apple and lemon zest aromas with a pleasing zing of brisk acidity, balanced by lemony fruit. Buy one for your Sauvignon obsessed friend.
Stockist: SuperValu
Fado is the traditional folk singing of Portugal that resembles Sean-Nós in many ways, especially in its themes. This is a blend of Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Alicante Bouschet and Syrah and is rather delightfully fruity with big black fruit flavours and some spice notes perfect for Indian food or a hearty casserole. The same producer’s '200 Gallons Double Cask' is also well worth its €10 price.
Stockist: SuperValu
Ribera del Duero on top form is very hared to beat and it is arguably my favourite Spanish red wine. Despite eight years old this still pours a vibrant dark purple and is packed with soft black fruit aromas and flavours with a smoky edge. Concentrated and ripe and a plushness on the palate that is as close to seduction in a bottle as I think I’ve ever tasted at this price.
Stockists: SuperValu
This wine is made for seduction. Tuscan cult winemaker and artist Bibi Graetz has appeared on this page before but this silky pink fizz is making its debut. Made from 100% Sangiovese grapes in the Charmat method (cf. Prosecco), this pours a delicate salmon pink colour with floral and red fruit aromas and a hint of orange peel. Fruit-driven and creamy on the palate with lingering berry and tangerine fruits.
Stockist: O’Briens stores nationwide obriens.ie
O’Briens have a full range of fizz on offer for Valentines including Piper-Heidsieck at €40 and Cave de Lugny Crémant de Bourgogne at €19, but I’ve chosen to give the slot to Rizzardi Prosecco Spumante for its creamy lip-tingling lusciousness. The Frizzante version (€12.50) is solid, but the extra fizz really makes a difference with ripe peach aromas and flavours cut through by lemony grapefruit zing.
Stockists: L’Atitude 51, Cinnamon Cottage, Cass & Co., Greenman Wines, Le Caveau Kilkenny, lecaveau.ie
Franciacorta is rarely seen on Irish shelves despite its strong claim to be the best sparkling wine region in Italy. This fine example is made with biodynamic grapes (85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir) — and has 30 months of lees ageing. Aromatic biscuity-brioche and citrus aromas, nutty and complex on the palate, Moroccan preserved lemon notes on the finish.
Stockists: Wine Centre, Martins, McHughs, O’Briens, craftbeerdelivered.com.
Brothers Barry, Brian and Padhraig O'Neill created O Brother Brewing in Wicklow in 2015 and are a brewery worth following. This Single Hop Pale Ale is part of the limited release Off The Wall series which supports emerging artists: artwork on this label is by the graffiti artist OMiN — peel it off and frame it!
This pours a dusky pale lemon colour with a light fluffy head. The aptly named Citra hop bristles with citrus notes and this beer is a real showcase of those flavours. Aromatic tangerine and lemon peel aromas, fruity and crisp with lively tangy Citra-citrus hop flavours on the finish.
